Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Navient Co. (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $12.74 and last traded at $12.76, with a volume of 253758 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.95.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Navient from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Navient from $15.50 to $15.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Navient from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Navient from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Navient from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.83.

Navient Trading Up 0.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 9.49, a current ratio of 9.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.59. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $14.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.04.

Navient (NASDAQ:NAVI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $1.20. Navient had a net margin of 1.71% and a return on equity of 8.62%. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $150.04 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.84 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Navient Co. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Navient Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a $0.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Navient's dividend payout ratio is currently 92.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Navient news, EVP Stephen M. Hauber sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $150,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 256,883 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,853,245. This trade represents a 3.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 27.99% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Navient

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Navient by 27.8% in the third quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 3,581,311 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $55,833,000 after purchasing an additional 779,973 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Navient by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,582,928 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $23,047,000 after buying an additional 171,160 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Navient by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,092,270 shares of the credit services provider's stock worth $17,028,000 after buying an additional 19,606 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Navient by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 892,828 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $13,919,000 after acquiring an additional 8,117 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Navient by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 444,467 shares of the credit services provider's stock valued at $6,929,000 after acquiring an additional 22,646 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.14% of the company's stock.

Navient Company Profile

Navient Corporation provides technology-enabled education finance and business processing solutions for education, health care, and government clients in the United States. It operates through three segments: Federal Education Loans, Consumer Lending, and Business Processing. The company owns Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans that are insured or guaranteed by state or not-for-profit agencies; and performs servicing on its portfolios, as well as federal education loans held by other institutions.